Learn more

An eye to the future: U provides unique training opportunities to tomorrow's pediatricians

Posted
April 1, 2008

Fourth-year
medical student Johannah Krueger has enjoyed working with children
almost as long as she can remember. Throughout high school and college
she found herself fascinated by how they grow and discover their world.

That fascination eventually led her to the University of Minnesota Medical School‚ where her experiences helped solidify her interest in a career as a pediatrician.

“In medical school there were a lot of rotations I really enjoyed‚
but with my pediatric rotations‚ I just really loved going to work
every day‚” Krueger says. Today she’s applying to pediatric residency
programs as the next step in shaping a career focused on kids.

From
medical school clerkships to residencies and fellowships‚ the
University of Minnesota’s Department of Pediatrics plays a key role in
educating tomorrow’s pediatricians. Those who have trained at the
University have taken their skills across the country and the world to
improve children’s health. On a local level‚ the University’s pediatric
residency program has had a huge impact‚ training about two-thirds of
Minnesota’s practicing pediatricians.

And the residency
program continues to grow in popularity: It has received nearly 500
applications for 23 spots in this June’s residency class.

“This
has become one of the most sought-after places for pediatric training
in the United States‚” says Joseph Neglia‚ M.D.‚ M.P.H.‚ interim head
of the Department of Pediatrics.

A well-rounded perspective

All
medical students at the University get a taste of pediatrics through a
six-week pediatric externship‚ part of the clinical experience that
fills their third and fourth years. Students also may sign up for any
of 15 other pediatric clerkships‚ including pediatric cardiology‚
adolescent medicine‚ and clinical genetics.

A hallmark of the
experience is the variety. Students spend time not only at the
University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital‚ Fairview‚ but also at
three other hospitals in the Twin Cities. The different settings expose
students to diverse patient populations‚ resulting in a well-rounded
perspective on the range of situations pediatricians can encounter.

For
instance‚ Krueger completed a general pediatrics rotation at one venue‚
a neonatal intensive care unit rotation at another‚ and a pediatric
nephrology rotation at a third. “That’s a great thing about the
training in Minnesota—they really do a lot‚” she says.

Diverse experiences

The
department’s residency program attracts graduates of medical schools
around the country who decide to specialize in pediatrics.

As
with medical school‚ a big advantage to the University’s pediatric
residency program is the spectrum of clinical experiences it offers‚
says program director John Andrews, M.D.
With opportunities to work at an academic children’s hospital and other
hospitals in the community‚ “Our residents really feel as if their
pediatric skills are portable‚” Andrews says.

The three-year pediatric residency program provides a full range of
hands-on honing of skills through 13 four-week rotations each year‚
including general pediatrics‚ critical care‚ ambulatory care‚ and
electives. Each resident also is involved in a continuity-of-care
situation that entails following patients in a single primary care
clinic for three years.

And for many residents‚ the program’s
global health track sets the University apart. Last year 22 of 23
first-year residents signed up for the track‚ which allows them to
devote part of their training to working in Uganda‚ Nicaragua‚ Bolivia‚
or one of several other countries.

“A lot of my interests go well with this track‚” says third-year resident John Anderson, M.D.,
who heads to Cambodia in March for four weeks as part of the program.
“I have a big interest in infectious diseases. I’m also interested in
public health and immigrant health.”

Expected to expand

Resources
and opportunities for medical students and residents alike are expected
to expand with the opening of the new home for the University’s
children’s hospital in 2010.

The facility‚ which will
consolidate pediatric care that’s currently on two campuses‚ is being
built with the needs of the Department of Pediatrics’s teaching
programs in mind. Features will include conference rooms on the patient
floors and a larger conference center.

“There’s space set
aside for education‚” Neglia says. “It really allows us to translate
what we do in a state-of-the-art environment.”